I should go
by Marie Blubert
Summary: Sasuke seeks Sakura's help and she saves his life. In the midst of his battle for life he realizes just who Haruno Sakura is and even though he can't fathom out her reasons for leaving, he thinks that maybe he is beginning to understand her, even if just a little. Sequel to 'White flag'.


Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the song "I should go" by Levi Kreis.

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This is a sequel to **White flag.**

Summary: Sasuke seeks Sakura's help and she saves his life. In the midst of his battle for life he realizes just who Haruno Sakura is and even though he can't fathom out her reasons for leaving, he thinks that maybe he is beginning to understand her, even if just a little.

Song: **I should go** by Levi Kreis

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**I should go**

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_**I should go**__**  
**__**Before my will gets any weaker**__**  
**__**And my eyes begin to linger**__**  
**__**Longer than they should**__**  
**__**I should go**__**  
**__**Before I lose my sense of reason**__**  
**__**And this hour holds more meaning**__**  
**__**Than it ever could**__**  
**__**I should go**__**  
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Uchiha Sasuke is running as fast as he can. Normally, his figure is faster than the wind and enemies can't even hope to see him with the naked eye.

Normally, the ANBU captain wouldn't be limping through a dense forest heading toward what was his only chance to survive. He is now heading toward what he knows to be his only chance to survive, Haruno Sakura.

A couple of months before he saw her in a small town near the border of Fire country, when he was taking a break with his genin team. She was smiling and seemed happy. She probably lives there.

Now, he only hopes that he can make it in time for her to heal his injuries. Well, that is not entirely true. He also hopes that she is willing to heal him.

They weren't on really good terms when she left Konoha without so much as an explanation. Naruto almost went crazy. When he heard from Tsunade that they would be getting a new medic-nin on their team, he lost it. To tell the truth, Sasuke didn't really understand the reason for the change. They weren't really going on many missions as a team as all of them had other responsibilities.

He and Naruto were training for the jounin exam, which Sakura had already passed. Sakura was busy with her job. It's true that there weren't so many missions in the aftermath of the war, but she was still busy with the hospital.

What baffled him was Tsunade's answer when Naruto asked why they needed a new medic nin. The hokage said that Sakura was no longer a Konoha kunoichi. Naruto was speechless.

Sasuke himself was very surprised as he couldn't understand what was happening. Did Sakura get tired of being a kunoichi? Maybe she thought she would take a break for a while. Things were slow and she wasn't needed as much as before so maybe she wanted some time off… Or perhaps she decided to work exclusively in the hospital since she was obviously better at healing than at fighting.

"_So, Sakura-chan is taking a vacation?"_ Naruto said back then. He was probably thinking the same thing as Sasuke. Tsunade's answer, however, baffled him.

She said that Sakura left Konoha for good and had officially retired from her position as a jounin and as Head of the Hospital.

Retiring from her job as a ninja…that he could understand. He always thought she wasn't really suited for the job. But leaving the village? Without saying a word to anyone? What the hell had happened? And why was Tsunade so calm about the whole affair?

To his surprise, Naruto stopped shouting and instead resumed to stare at Tsunade with a curious gaze, simply asking why. The answer came quick. Sakura wanted to be happy somewhere else. That was it. No more details. Tsunade said she herself didn't know more.

From that day on, Naruto never spoke of Sakura. His dream of having team 7 back together had finally come true and she just left, leaving the team broken again.

She did exactly what Sasuke had done when they were twelve. Except they weren't twelve and she didn't have a whole murdered clan to avenge.

They were adults with a rational mind and they were supposed to solve any problem together. Sakura deserted their team and Naruto couldn't forgive her. Sasuke found himself unhappy with her decision as well. Sometimes, when they were on a hard mission or when they went out for lunch, he found himself thinking about her.

Almost missing her. Almost.

The new medic was good. Not as good at Sakura, but decent. She healed their injuries whenever they needed. It wasn't like they got seriously hurt. She wasn't much of a fighter. She couldn't crush mountains and maneuver trees with a single hand, but they didn't really need that as they were capable of doing all the fighting.

Snapping out of his reverie, Sasuke notices that he is getting near the town but he has a harder time breathing, concentrating. His vision is blurry and he thinks that maybe he lost too much blood. He thinks that maybe this is the end. He never thought that some amateur shinobi from Mist could surprise him and manage to land a hit. He never thought that some no-name could do so much damage.

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Sakura is slowly getting dressed. It is early autumn and the medical herbs she planted in the forest should be ready to become useful. Sakura made a habit out of checking them once in a while, but today she is sure she isn't going to return home with her hands empty.

She chooses a pair of comfy shorts and a black T-shirt that's hugging her skin. Her hair has grown longer. It is now reaching her waist. She likes her hair very much and often leaves it flowing down her shoulders, but today she ties it up in a ponytail since she hopes to get some work done.

She walks out the door but not before grabbing a wooden basket. It's actually a gift from an old lady whose husband passed away a few months ago. Sakura helped him by relieving his pain with her chakra. The woman swore to never reveal the secret of Sakura being a ninja to anyone and for some strange reason, Sakura trusts her. Maybe she is finally letting go of all the pain and darkness from her past.

Walking through the streets, Sakura smiles and says hello to the people she meets. She knows many people and managed to make a lot of friends even though she when she first came here, she was all dark and twisted.

As she advances towards the small clearing in the forest where she planted her herbs, Sakura stops dead in her tracks as she comes to face with a gruesome sight. Lying by a tree, she sees a man surrounded by what seems to be, most of his blood. That was something she had seen numerous times during war, but she never really expected something like this to happen in her small refuge.

Though she is shaking at the mere idea that this man is dead due to a violent fight, she wills herself to move and see if there is something she can do. She gasps and tears instantly start flowing when she sees that the man is actually a Konoha Anbu.

He has broad shoulders and a muscular chest. Strong arms and long strong legs. A real soldier.

There is a hole in his abdomen which is bleeding severely.

The young doctor is afraid to lift the mask. She is afraid that she may see one of her friends, but she has to do it in order to take a better look at his condition. And so, she does. What she sees makes her gasp for air, but it is useless because she can't breathe.

It takes a while before she can catch her breath from the shock of seeing Sasuke Uchiha, bleeding to death right in front of her. Sasuke always manages to find a way to make her heart miss a beat.

Quickly turning into medic mode, Sakura sees that he still has a pulse, although very weak and his breathing is barely there. Without another thought, she uses a justsu to teleport the two of them to her apartment. She swore she would never use a jutsu again as she was done being a ninja, but somehow he always makes her resolve crumble.

Sakura spends her whole night working on Sasuke. His heart stops a few times and she has to resuscitate. Normally, patients in this state have no chance of survival and doctors treat them as such, as a lost case.

But Sasuke isn't a normal patient and Sakura isn't a normal doctor. She'd be damned if would let the love of her life die.

After a long night of healing, of stopping the bleeding and restarting his heart more times than she thought humanly possible, she finally manages to stabilize him. Sakura has to hand it to Sasuke, he sure is stubborn. Even death can't take him away when she wants.

However, Sakura is still not ready to let her guard down, as Sasuke has a fever. It could be an infection or it could be poison. From Sakura's experience as a medic-nin, she thinks that it's probably the latter.

Good luck she has some antidotes with her just in case. She does not have time to identify the substance flowing through Sasuke's veins and mixing with his blood. Sasuke does not have the time. Seeing as the situation is pretty bad, Sakura uses an universal antidote. Not as efficient as she would want, but it would at least buy her some time.

Sakura decides to get some water for Sasuke and herself as they would both need it soon. She also calls in sick at the hospital. Something she's never done since she came here. Hell, something she's never done. Period. How the hell does Sasuke manage to put her in such situations?

After a few hours, she succeeds in identifying the poison and producing the antidote. She administrates it and hopes that Sasuke will pull through the next twenty-four hours.

Allowing herself to take a breath in a chair near her occupied bed, she lets her eyes linger on his form. He had always been handsome and the cuts grazing his skin don't change that. He still reminds her of the boy she fell in love with all those years ago. A boy who was shattered on the inside but still found the courage to stand up for himself. He also stood up for her. He protected her when she needed it most and she would be forever grateful for that.

She isn't grateful for him breaking her heart, though. For always putting her down. She knows that she wasn't good enough for him, for them. In the past, Haruno Sakura was nothing more than a burden to team 7. A nobody, the black sheep or ugly duckling or whatever. They are not to blame for her weakness. Sasuke did nothing to undermine her abilities back then.

The problem appeared when she became stronger under Tsunade's tutelage. Even after all she's done, after all the sacrifices she made in order to prove herself, they didn't acknowledge that. Sasuke continued to think that he was above her and that she was useless with the small exception of healing, which he didn't really need as he never had more than a few small cuts after a mission.

Sakura stares hard at Sasuke's beaten form. There is a long cut on his chin. His pale skin is grazed and she can't help herself as she sit next to him and gently heals the cut. It would probably heal on it's own, but she prefers to do it. This is probably the only time she can do something for Sasuke. She knows that even though she made it very far, she was way out of their league.

That is one of the reasons she decided to leave Konoha, beside the PTSD.

It was pointless to be part of a team that didn't need her. It was like trying to beat gravity. They were too far ahead and she could never catch up to them.

With one last, longing gaze at her ex teammate, she leaves for the hospital.

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When Sasuke wakes up, he is confused. His head is pounding and as he is looking around he can't see anything familiar.

He thinks he must be in some kind of home as he raises from the one-person bed. The bedroom is square-shaped, not too small but certainly not too big. Simple furniture can be seen there. A little desk with a chair, a closet and a full length mirror.

Walking out of the bedroom, he reaches what seems to be the living room, as it is furnished with one couch, a small coffee table and a huge bookcase. To the right he can see a door which leads to the kitchen and to his left there is another door. A closed one.

Before doing anymore research, the Uchiha decides to try and remember what happened to him.

Ha had been ambushed by some mist nin on a solo mission. One of them managed to land a hit before he defeated them all. He thought nothing about the injury until he noticed how badly it was bleeding.

Feeling a little out of breath, Sasuke sits on the couch to rest.

After the fight, he remembers, he was limping toward the town he last saw Sakura in. It was a long shot, seeing as she could just as well be on the other side of the country, but it was his only chance. He fainted before he got to said town, so right now, he had no idea where he was.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door he stands up and prepares to fight. After a soft 'click' resonates in the room, the door swiftly opens and just as quick, he jumps to immobilize the intruder.

He is surprised when he finds himself pinned underneath his target.

"Nice way of thanking me for saving you life."

Sasuke looks up to see Sakura smiling a small, fake, yet polite smile at him.

He notices more now than he did all those months ago. The woman has her hair longer than she did back in Konoha. The bags under her eyes are no more and she seems happy, healthy. Still pretty, like she was back in Konoha. Perhaps even more so, as she is probably taking more care of herself.

"You found me."

"Yeah, I did .I'd say destiny didn't want you to die just yet, as it's a miracle that I was around exactly when you decided to bleed to death in a deserted forest."

"Hn."

"Still not very talkative, I see. Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Here's how it's gonna be. You can stay at my place until you recover. It's gonna be a couple of days, no more than four. As soon as you're ready to go, I'll give you supplies to return to Konoha. Until then, you must follow my instruction as to not worsen your condition."

"Hn."

"Why don't you go back to bed while I make some dinner?"

"Do you need help?"

Sakura is surprised by his offer, but declines saying that she's got it covered.

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When Sasuke wakes up again, it's late evening. He slowly rises from bed, careful not to disturb his bandges. Getting out of the room he steps into the living room only to see Sakura hovering over some papers with a cup of tea in hand. It's been a while since they spoke to each other. Actually, if his memory serves him right, the last time they actually talked was before she left Konoha…

Remembering that, he can't help but wonder why his pink haired friend even bothered to save him. He had been a jerk to her, after all.

His friend?

Should he even call her that? Naruto was the only one who proclaimed himself his friend and managed to do it. Sakura had once upon a time claimed herself to be so as well, but was she still feeling the same? Did he want her to be his friend?

For as long as he could remember, he considered her somewhat of e pest. She was his responsibility, his burden to bear and although she never asked for his protection, he felt obliged to help her whenever she needed.

Breaking out of his daze, Sasuke notices Sakura throwing him a curious glance. For a moment they make eye contact and he can see how green hey eyes are, sparkling with curiosity, before she looks back to her papers.

Not knowing how to handle this situation, Sasuke sits on the other side of the couch. It feels weird, not hearing her talk to him, trying to start a conversation. He kind of misses the sound of her voice.

"How long have I been out?"

"Since last night." The woman says without looking up from her papers.

The Uchiha is beginning to feel frustrated. She should know that a guest shouldn't be ignored? Because that was what he was, right?

"Naruto doesn't speak of you anymore." The man says, feeling satisfied to catch her attention. She looks up at him this time and he should feel remorse because he made her sad, but he doesn't really know what he feels. Is he sad because he made her sad or is he happy because she finally showed a sign of recognition even if he can see in her eyes that her heart broke a little at the news?

"How is he?"

"He is good. Training with Tsunade and dating Hinata."

"I remember back when I trained with Tsunade. She won't go easy on him."

She says so in order to make conversation, but he knows she's probably thinking about their blond friend and he waits for her to ask the next question because he knows she's curious. He can see it in her body language.

The way her pink arched brows furrow on her white temple.

The way her slender fingers play with the right upper corner of the page she's been reading for the last half an hour.

The way she pulled her long, creamy legs underneath her, almost as if curling into a ball for comfort.

Or the way she bites her rosy, full lower lip.

"How's Ino?"

"She is living with Nara now."

"Oh."

As Sasuke waits for her next question, which will inevitably come, he takes in her attire. A red top and a pair of shorts. Simple and comfy. She probably came from work a while ago.

"How are Tenten and Lee?"

"I think Lee is going to propose soon."

"That's good. They're good for each other."

Sasuke can see the ghost of a smile on her lips. It's what's left of those smiles that she gave all the time when she was twelve but were so rare now.

"Is Akamaru getting bigger?"

"Yeah. Naruto says he'll be bigger than Gambunta one of these days."

And Sakura laughts and Sasuke realizes he missed her laugh. It's a melodious sound that warms his heart. She asks more about her old friends, about her old home and his answers make her laugh sometimes. Other times, they make her frown. The man is drawn to her and, for the first time in so many years founds himself wanting to prolong the conversation.

Sakura stops for a moment and then says in a calm, soft voice "Are you hungry? I could fix something for us."

"Aa. Let me help."

"Ok."

The two of them walk in the kitchen and start washing the vegetables. Sakura says she wants to make some soup. Seems it's good for his health. Something about the immune system.

Sasuke finds it amusing that Sakura had been friends with Naruto for so long and they have such different views on food. But then again, no one really shares Naruto's opinion on ramen.

For a moment Sasuke remembers the way his mother user to cook. In the same smothering, domestic silence. Undisturbed by the sounds of clashing kunais and anguished screams. For a moment he wonders what it would be like if he were to live a life such as this with someone like Sakura.

The two of them sit at the table to eat. The conversation is light, Sakura mostly asks questions about Konoha and missions and Sasuke gives short but satisfying answers.

"How have you been?"

That is a question he wasn't expecting.

"Good."

He doesn't know what to say. What should he say to her? He doesn't know.

Before the silence can get awkward, Sakura intervenes.

"You should take your medicine and I should heal what's left of your wounds and change your bandages."

"How much until I heal?"

"Tomorrow you should be good to go if you rest well tonight."

She says aster a moment's thought and Sasuke thinks he saw disappointment momentarily flash in her eyes, but he then thinks it must have been his imagination.

"Why don't you wait for me in your room?"

Sakura asks without waiting for an answer and Sasuke thinks it's funny how she now refers to her bedroom as 'his room'.

When Sakura is gently healing him he remembers the last time they were in this situation. It was right after war and it was one of the few missions they got as team seven. She was tired and restless. She was unhappy.

Now she is serene. Just like she was all those months ago when he spotted her while he was with his students at the café.

She was is serene. Maybe a little disturbed by his unexpected visit.

He realizes he has no right to interrupt her peaceful life.

With that thought, he falls asleep on her warm chest from the medication she gave him.

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As the sun rises, Sasuke sits up in bed and realizes that he feels strong and healthy.

He realizes that he no longer has a reason to stay in Sakura's warm home.

He walks tall into the living room and sees Sakura already awake. It surprises him. He never thought her to be an early riser.

"You're leaving."

Sasuke gives her a curt nod and has a strange sense of déjà vu. He remembers the last time he left her.

The image of her tear stricken face is clear in his head.

The sounds of her quiet sobs.

The threat to scream if he left.

And a confession of undying love.

Right now, though, Sakura seems eager to see him off. Something is clearly wrong with this, but Sasuke chooses to ignore the feeling.

"Sasuke."

At the sound of his name, Sasuke turns, half hoping that she would say he wasn't physically fit to travel, half hoping that she never wants to see him again because she is the last person he wants to hurt and he has done exactly that in the past years.

"Please, don't tell Naruto or the others where I am."

He wants to shout at her, to ask her why she doesn't want to talk to her friends, why she left in the first place as it makes no sense to him.

But he knows he no longer has the privilege to ask these questions.

He can no longer call himself his friend or one of her precious people as she decided to leave and never look back.

Sakura Haruno made a life for herself far away from the horrors of the ninja world and far away from him.

In a way, he envies her, he despises her for leaving him behind.

But mostly he is proud of her because she found a way to be happy.

So he gives her a cut nod and leaves her before he changes his mind.

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_**Here we are**__**  
**__**Isn't it familiar**__**  
**__**Haven't had someone to talk to**__**  
**__**In such a long time**__**  
**__**And it's strange**__**  
**__**All we have in common**__**  
**__**And your company was just the thing I needed tonight**__**  
**__**Somehow I feel I should apologize**__**  
**__**Cuz I'm just a little shaken**__**  
**__**By what's going on inside**__**  
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**A/N:** This is a sequel to **'White flag'**

Not much action but Sasuke gets a glimpse of Sakura's new life.

Please tell me what you think of their interaction and of my writing, of course.

In comparison to **White flag**, which writing stile do you believe suits me better?

Please review.

**Marie Blubert**


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